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Bebek Hotel

Cevdet Paşa Cad 34, Bebek, Istanbul

Situated in one of the most coveted locations on the Bosphorus, the clubby Bebek Hotel offers dazzling waterfront views combined with a handsomely inviting interior. The 21 guests suites, especially those on the seaside, make you feel as if you are cocooned in a private yacht. The hotel’s bar was chosen by Newsweek as one of the 50 most exclusive bars in the world. At waterlevel is Les Ambassadeurs, one of the last of Istanbul’s old greats (think Abdullah in Emirgan, sadly now a housing estate), with its Turco-Russian menu.

All within walking distance are two bookshops across the road, the fabulous marzipan shop Bebek Badem Ezmesi, the pleasant park adjoining the Egyptian Embassy, and a ferry station with regular if slightly infrequent boats. There is also a fine waterside walk all the way to Rumelihisarı for an evening constitutional. In the Bebek Hotel, you really are at the heart of the Bosphorus riviera.